MetLife reaches goal to hire more than 1,300 in Charlotte

MetLife says it has reached its goal of creating more than 1,300 jobs at its U.S. retail headquarters in Charlotte after it announced plans two years ago to establish a hub in the city.

The New York-based insurance company has scheduled an event for April 14 in Ballantyne Corporate Park, where its hub is housed, to celebrate meeting the goal.

“Please join us as we celebrate fulfilling our commitment to Charlotte,” reads an invitation for the event. A MetLife spokesman declined to comment further.

In 2013, MetLife announced plans to consolidate its U.S. retail operations in Charlotte. As part of that announcement, the company also said it would create about 1,300 jobs in Cary and establish a separate global technology and operations hub there.

In exchange for state incentives, MetLife is required to create at least 2,098 jobs in North Carolina by the end of this year. The company could receive incentives grants totaling as much as $87.2 million over a 12-year period. The amount, to be awarded through the state's Job Development Investment Grant program, is the largest JDIG grant in North Carolina history, according to the state's commerce department.

Its state incentives package also included a $2 million grant the state said is based on the company meeting certain performance requirements.

The city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County also approved roughly $3 million in incentives for MetLife, which is located in Ballantyne Corporate Park’s Gragg and Woodward buildings.

This story was originally published April 2, 2015 at 11:05 AM with the headline "MetLife reaches goal to hire more than 1,300 in Charlotte."